Note to self, *DO NOT* try to "clean" sealed SureFire bezels....

I was inspecting my SureFire E series bezel on my Vital Gear 2 cell body, and i noticed a large patch of dust dead center, right in line with the hole in the bezel, even though it did not affect beam quality, it annoyed me, so i figured i could "clean" the window....

first step, using a can of compressed air, and short, low pressure blasts didn't budge the dust, and to make matters worse, i touched the inside of the window with the tip of the plastic straw, leaving a "smudge" in the middle of the window

so, now i had to clean up the smudge, even though *IT* didn't affect beam quality either, and was only visible if i was looking into the bezel at a very specific angle....

second step, using the same straw, try pushing a piece of soft toilet tissue into the hole, tissue is too soft, and the straw keeps tearing through before it even exits the neck of the reflector

third step; push a microfiber cloth into the hole, it only succeds in smearing the smudge....

fourth step, try a heat gun on low to heat up the bezel and allow me to remove the bezel ring so i can give the window a real cleaning, no luck, the bezel ring is solidly fastened

finally, give SureFire a call to see how much a new bezel assembly will be.....

i let them know that *I* screwed up the window multicoating in an attempt to clean it, it's not a defect, and i'd like to either order a new pyrex window (and need info on how to open the bezel) or a new head.....

long story short, they're sending me a new bezel, no charge, even though *I* screwed it up trying to "clean" it, and they don't even expect me to send back the original bezel, they said to just "throw it away"....

the replacement bezel should be here in 5 days

I guess SureFire's warranty service is as good as people say it is (as long as you *call* them, that is), my first SureFire warranty claim, for cosmetic damage *I* caused, and it's covered, hard to believe

Bravo, SureFire

oh, and according to the rep i spoke with, the Cree models should be out in June.....

once the KL1/KL4 has been updated to Cree, that'll be my next SureFire purchase

next time just stick a Q-Tip in there and clean it like that. that how i clean inside my A2 bezel.

funny, I almost busted my Ipod case trying to remove it...

Use alcohol on a swab. But don't touch the reflector with anything, wet or dry.

highorder said:

funny, I almost busted my Ipod case trying to remove it...

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Heh, those Contour iSee cases are tough little buggers aren't they?

the secret is to pry from the bottom near the Dock connector....

hmm, maybe i should cancel that replacement part order then....

ABTOMAT said:

Use alcohol on a swab. But don't touch the reflector with anything, wet or dry.

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Minor disagree. I've flushed many reflectors including SF in the kitchen sink, even using dish washing detergent, and high-pressure blow-dried them without any subsequent evidence. For others, DO NOT EVER touch a reflector! That means Q-tip or anything else! The typical vacuum-aluminized finish is beyond super fragile!

Larry

Mac Tech, I can relate, I hate smudges! Your story was funny, sounds like something I would do!

tvodrd said:

That means Q-tip or anything else! The typical vacuum-aluminized finish is beyond super fragile!

Larry

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i did not say to toch the reflector i meant only the lense. and i dont think that puting water in it will help as that seems really really bad thing to do.

Mac Tech,

Your story is all too familiar to me, and my advice to those reading this thread, would be DO NOT TRY TO CLEAN INSIDE A SF HEAD. Not with a Q-tip, not with compressed air, not with nothing. Just don't do it. Whatever it is that's bothering you, that you want to fix, it's bound to be a lot better than what you are going to end up with after the "fix".

For most people, anyway. As evdienced, there are some who are touch by the gods and can mess with the inside of their SF heads with impunity. But for most of us mere mortals, the best advice is JUST DON'T MESS WITH IT.

This thread is really timely, given that Atomic Chicken and myself were just having a minor disagreement over the best advice to give to batman as to the smudge on the underside of his A2 lens.

So, i guess i'll keep the replacement bezel that's on it's way from SF then, i can use the old one as a test victim for my anodizing-stripping experiment, maybe try to dissasemble the bezel ring more agressively to get the window out so i can give it a real cleaning, just use the existing bezel as a test bed for all sorts of stuff.....

Greetings!

js said:

Mac Tech,
...This thread is really timely, given that Atomic Chicken and myself were just having a minor disagreement over the best advice to give to batman as to the smudge on the underside of his A2 lens.

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Not sure we were "disagreeing" about anything - just expressing different levels of willingness to actually use the Q-Tip.

Best wishes,
Bawko

Atomic Chicken,

Sorry! Didn't mean to imply anything negative in the least! Just was trying to say that I was suggesting batman either leave his bezel as is or contact SF CS, whereas you were suggesting the Q-tip option. Not a "disagreement" per se, to be sure, but not exactly the same advice either. Hence my use of the modifier "minor" in front of "disagreement".

It's all good, though!

Greetings!

No worries js... if I was upset about anything I wouldn't have ended my post with a smiley!

I've been giving the bezel cleaning idea a bit more thought... and it seems to me that the Q-Tip through the incandescent hole should be pretty safe IF you use isopropyl alcohol (so evaporation without residue can happen fairly rapidly) and if you use a can of air afterward to blow out any loose fibers that might have come off the Q-Tip during the wiping action. I don't think the reflector would be hurt so long as you keep the lens of the bezel pointed DOWN... this way none of the alcohol with impurities can drip onto the reflector. Maybe doing this on a glass-topped coffee table would be an easy way to keep the bezel down while still being able to see what you're doing...

Just a thought. Perhaps the SF warranty is the safest, but I'm kind of a "fix it yourself" kind of guy and tend to use warranty service as a last resort when possible.

Best wishes,
Bawko

:grouphug:

Surefire has recommended flushing the head with IPA-literally flooding it. If you use 91% alcohol or even 100% if you can get it, it should evaporate without leaving any residue. Again, do not touch the reflector with anything.

I have not tried this technique.

Mark

A bit OT, but have to say that SF seems to have some damn good CS.
Nicely done!

Well done, I know the situation well

Well, since i had nothing to lose, i grabbed some Q-tips and my bottle of isopropyl 91% alcohol.....

it worked *brilliantly*, the inside of the bezel is nice and clean, no dust, no smudges

the secret is to work with the bezel in a window-down orientation, use almost no pressure and keep the Q-tip away from the edges of the reflector, work slowly and use almost no pressure

I have opened many SF bezels with no more than a bit of heat and a strap wrench, all ExE types with a strap wrench only. Then the window is easy to clean with a quality micro fiber cloth not rag. I have also rinsed the reflectors with warm water and dish soap letting them air dry with no ill effect.

On a few occasions I have breathed on a reflector to lubricate it with moisture then quickly and ever so gently wiped them with a micro fiber cloth, I don't recommend this but I have done it with no ill effect.

Cheers to SF CS.

You guys are all crazy.

First the OP says "Do NOT try to clean inside a sealed SF bezel."

Then a whole bunch of people immediately start telling him different ways how to clean inside it.

Then a senior and experienced CPFer says "DON'T clean inside it!"

Someone else cuts in and starts explaining how to clean inside something totally different.

Finally, the OP comes back and says "I've just cleaned inside it!"

I love this forum!!!